Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Leader du gouvernement à la Chambre des communes
Incumbent
Karina Gould
since July 26, 2023
Privy Council Office
StyleThe Honourable
Member of
Reports toPrime Minister
AppointerMonarch (represented by the governor general);[2]
on the advice of the prime minister[3]
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Inaugural holderIan Alistair Mackenzie
FormationOctober 14, 1944
DeputyDeputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Websitewww.canada.ca/en/leader-government-house-commons.html

The leader of the government in the House of Commons of Canada (French: leader du gouvernement à la Chambre des communes du Canada), more commonly known as the government house leader, is the Cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the government's legislative program in the House of Commons of Canada. Despite the name of the position it does not refer to the prime minister of Canada, who is the head of government.

History

From 1867 until World War II, prime ministers took upon themselves the responsibilities of being leader of the government in the House of Commons, organizing and coordinating House of Commons business with the other parties. The expansion of government responsibilities during the war led to Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King deciding to delegate the House leadership to one of his ministers. In 1946, the position of government house leader was formally recognized.

In 1968, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau designated the government house leader as president of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. Under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the roles of government house leader and president of the Privy Council were separated in 1989. Under Mulroney and his successors, the position of house leader would often be held by someone who was named a minister of state without any portfolio responsibilities specified. Since 2003, this minister of state status has been obscured in all but the most official circumstances by the use of a "Leader of the Government in the House of Commons" style in its place.

Prime Minister Paul Martin's first House Leader, Jacques Saada was also the minister responsible for democratic reform; however, with the election of a minority government in the 2004 election, Martin appointed Tony Valeri to the position of leader of the government in the House of Commons with no additional responsibilities.

List of officeholders

Until 2005, the position of government house leader was not technically a cabinet-level post, but rather a parliamentary office, so to qualify for cabinet membership, an individual had to be named to cabinet in some other capacity. For a time, with the position having evolved into a full-time job, government house leaders have been named to cabinet as ministers of state with no portfolio specified. The Martin government created these positions so that the minister of state title is effectively invisible. An amendment to the Salaries Act made this unnecessary by listing the government house leader as a minister.[4]

Key:

Portrait Name
Electoral district
(Birth–Death)		 Term of office Party Prime minister
(Ministry)
Term start Term end
Ian Alistair Mackenzie
MP for Vancouver Centre
(1890–1949)		 October 14,
1944		 April 30,
1948		 Liberal William Lyon Mackenzie King
(16th)
Alphonse Fournier
MP for Hull
(1893–1961)		 May 1,
1948		 May 8,
1953		 Liberal
Louis St. Laurent
(17th)
Walter Edward Harris
MP for Grey—Bruce
(1904–1999)		 May 9,
1953		 April 12,
1957		 Liberal
Howard Charles Green
MP for Vancouver Quadra
(1895–1989)		 October 14,
1957		 July 18,
1959		 Progressive Conservative John Diefenbaker
(18th)
Gordon Churchill
MP for Winnipeg South Centre
(1898–1985)		 January 14,
1960		 February 5,
1963		 Progressive Conservative
Jack Pickersgill
MP for Bonavista—Twillingate
(1905–1997)		 May 16,
1963		 December 21,
1963		 Liberal Lester B. Pearson
(19th)
Guy Favreau
MP for Papineau
(1917–1967)		 February 18,
1964		 October 29,
1964		 Liberal
George McIlraith
MP for Ottawa West
(1908–1992)		 October 30,
1964		 May 3,
1967		 Liberal
Allan MacEachen
MP for Inverness—Richmond
(1921–2017)		 May 4,
1967		 April 23,
1968		 Liberal
Donald Stovel Macdonald
MP for Rosedale
(1932–2018)		 September 12,
1968		 September 23,
1970		 Liberal Pierre Trudeau
(20th)
Allan MacEachen
MP for Cape Breton Highlands—Canso
(1921–2017)		 September 24,
1970		 May 9,
1974		 Liberal
Mitchell Sharp
MP for Eglinton
(1911–2004)		 August 8,
1974		 September 13,
1976		 Liberal
Allan MacEachen
MP for Cape Breton Highlands—Canso
(1921–2017)		 September 14,
1976		 March 26,
1979		 Liberal
Walter Baker
MP for Nepean—Carleton
(1930–1983)		 June 4,
1979		 March 2,
1980		 Progressive Conservative Joe Clark
(21st)
Yvon Pinard
MP for Drummond
(born 1940)		 March 3,
1980		 June 29,
1984		 Liberal Pierre Trudeau
(22nd)
André Ouellet
MP for Papineau
(born 1939)		 June 30,
1984		 November 4,
1984		 Liberal John Turner
(23rd)
Ray Hnatyshyn
MP for Saskatoon West
(1934–2002)		 November 5,
1984		 June 29,
1986		 Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney
(24th)
Don Mazankowski
MP for Vegreville
(1935–2020)		 June 30,
1986		 April 2,
1989		 Progressive Conservative
Doug Lewis
MP for Simcoe North
(born 1938)		 April 3,
1989		 February 22,
1990		 Progressive Conservative
Harvie Andre
MP for Simcoe North
(1940–2012)		 February 23,
1990		 June 24,
1993		 Progressive Conservative
Doug Lewis
MP for Simcoe North
(born 1938)		 June 25,
1993		 November 3,
1993		 Progressive Conservative Kim Campbell
(25th)
Doug Lewis
MP for Windsor West
(1931–2014)		 November 4,
1993		 April 27,
1997		 Liberal Jean Chrétien
(26th)
Don Boudria
MP for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell
(born 1949)		 June 11,
1997		 January 14,
2002		 Liberal
Ralph Goodale
MP for Wascana
(born 1949)		 January 15,
2002		 May 25,
2002		 Liberal
Don Boudria
MP for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell
(born 1949)		 May 26,
2002		 December 11,
2003		 Liberal
Jacques Saada
MP for Brossard—La Prairie
(born 1947)		 December 12,
2003		 July 20,
2004		 Liberal Paul Martin
(27th)
Tony Valeri
MP for Hamilton East—Stoney Creek
(born 1957)		 July 20,
2004		 January 23,
2006		 Liberal
Rob Nicholson
MP for Niagara Falls
(born 1952)		 February 6,
2006		 January 4,
2007		 Conservative Stephen Harper
(28th)
Peter Van Loan
MP for York—Simcoe
(born 1963)		 January 4,
2007		 October 29,
2008		 Conservative
Jay Hill
MP for Prince George—Peace River
(born 1952)		 October 30,
2008		 August 6,
2010		 Conservative
John Baird
MP for Ottawa West—Nepean
(born 1969)		 August 6,
2010		 May 18,
2011		 Conservative
Peter Van Loan
MP for York—Simcoe
(born 1963)		 May 18,
2011		 November 4,
2015		 Conservative
Dominic LeBlanc
MP for Beauséjour
(born 1967)		 November 4,
2015		 August 19,
2016		 Liberal Justin Trudeau
(29th)
Bardish Chagger
MP for Waterloo
(born 1980)		 August 19,
2016		 November 20,
2019		 Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez
MP for Honoré-Mercier
(born 1967)		 November 20,
2019		 October 26,
2021		 Liberal
Mark Holland
MP for Ajax
(born 1974)		 October 26,
2021		 July 26,
2023		 Liberal
Karina Gould[5]
MP for Burlington
(born 1987)		 July 26,
2023		 Incumbent Liberal

References

  1. ↑ "The Canadian Parliamentary system - Our Procedure - House of Commons". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  2. ↑ "Constitutional Duties". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  3. ↑ "House of Commons Procedure and Practice - 1. Parliamentary Institutions - Canadian Parliamentary Institutions". www.ourcommons.ca. Retrieved 2020-04-20.
  4. ↑ "An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and the Salaries Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts" (PDF). Canada Gazette, Part III, vol. 28, no. 3. June 22, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Prime Minister announces changes to the Ministry". Prime Minister of Canada. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-07-27.
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